Yutaka Fukufuji | Goalie

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Yutaka Fukufuji was called up from the minors on Tuesday January 16.

Wed, Jan 17, 2007 01:21:00 AM

Yutaka Fukufuji started his first NHL game in the Kings' 6-2 loss the Thrashers on Tuesday night.

Fukufuji allowed three goals on just nine shots and was pulled in favor of Barry Brust after the first period. Brust stopped seventeen of the twenty shots he faced in relief. Alexander Frolov and Tom Kostopoulos scored the Kings' goals, while Mike Cammalleri collected two assists in the game. Tue, Jan 16, 2007 10:35:00 PM

Yutaka Fukufuji became the first Japanese-born player to play in the NHL when he replaced Barry Brust on Saturday.

Fukufuji may start this week as Barry Brust has struggled between the pipes. It is a testament to the growing popularity of hockey around the world. The Kings are becoming a true international team, as teammate Anze Kopitar became the first Slovenian-born player to participate in an NHL game earlier this season. Mon, Jan 15, 2007 12:38:00 PM

Yutaka Fukufuji has been called up to Los Angeles, and became the first Japanese-born player to dress for an NHL game on Saturday.

Fukufuji is here only until Dan Cloutier's shoulder is sound enough to allow him to dress. That is unlikely to happen in time for the Kings' game Tuesday against Calgary, but Barry Brust is getting the ice time right now. Coach Marc Crawford said the team has no problem using Fukufuji, but he is definitely not worth a pick up in your league. Mon, Dec 18, 2006 10:18:00 AM

Depth Charts

Anze Kopitar recorded the 800th point of his career in his 900th game.

Kopitar got there by registering an assist in the Kings' 4-3 win against Winnipeg Tuesday night. He's spent his entire career to date with Los Angeles and has become the fifth player in franchise history with at least 800 points. He's also the fifth player to ever record a minimum of 900 contests with Los Angeles.

Torrey Mitchell opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season Monday night in Chicago.

Mitchell has scored two goals over the past four games, rallying on the team's road odyssey. He was very effective in the faceoff circle, too, winning three of his four opportunities. Despite the uptick in goals lately, he remains nothing more than a depth option in larger fantasy pools.

Look for Alex Iafallo to have a good showing Saturday afternoon against the Sabres.

Iafallo is from Buffalo, and he will be playing in his first NHL game in his hometown on Saturday. "It will give me a little goosebumps," said Iafallo. "I've got a bunch of fans coming from there — old friends, teachers from school. It will be a pretty cool experience going back." Iafallo, who has been playing on the Kings' top line with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, should be plenty motivated Saturday. We might consider starting him.

It has been a tough season for the winger who has only 10 goals thus far in 58 games after scoring 24 last season. It may be tough sledding the rest of the way but do not forget about him in deeper pools next season.

Adrian Kempe registered two assists in a 4-3 win against Winnipeg on Tuesday.

Kempe has only been held off the scoresheet once in his last four games. He's up to 16 goals and 30 points in 59 contests. It's been a pretty solid first full season for him and it wouldn't be surprising to see him build on that over the next couple of campaigns.

Andy Andreoff posted a goal with a plus-1 rating in Monday's 3-1 win at Chicago.

Andreoff also had his physicality on display, blocking three shots with three hits in his 14 shifts over 8:56 of ice time. Normally he is known for his fists and his hard-hitting style, not his offense. Despite an upturn in offensive stats lately, Andreoff remains useful only in the deepest of fantasy pools rewarding bad behavior.

Toffoli has picked up just one assist during that span, but he's confident that he can turn it around. "I like where my game's at. I feel like I'm doing some really good things so I'm not really too worried about anything," he said. "Just trying to obviously score goals but at the same time play good hockey and play the right way."

That puts Brown just one goal away from the 250th of his career. Brown struggled offensively in recent years, but he's been enjoying a resurgence with 17 goals and 41 points in 59 contests this season.

Lewis was hurt on Feb. 9 when he was hit into the boards by Florida's Jared McCann. Kings coach John Stevens originally termed him as "day-to-day" and didn't consider him long-term, but Kings GM Rob Blake is the one who updated Lewis as being week-to-week. Blake also said that Lewis' upper-body injury isn't a concussion.

The Los Angeles Kings have acquired Tobias Rieder from the Arizona Coyotes.

The Kings also got goalie Scott Wedgewood in the package. Rieder is scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of this season. The 25-year-old has eight goals and 19 points in 58 games this season. This trade won't really give him much of a fantasy boost. The Coyotes will retain 15 percent of his remaining salary.

Michael Mersch will be a healthy scratch in Tuesday's game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Mersch was recalled from the minors last week, but he's now been scratched in each of Los Angeles' four games since then. He has 18 goals and 33 points in 45 AHL games this season. Kevin Gravel and Paul Ladue will also serve as healthy scratches on Tuesday.

Drew Doughty picked up a pair of assists with a plus-2 rating, three shots on goal and two hits across 27:11 of ice time in Wednesday's 5-2 win against the Oilers.

The All-Star is averaging a point-per-game since the All-Star break, posting a goal with three assists in four outings. He also has a goal with nine points over the past seven contests. After a slow start this season he is making up for lost time and suddenly on track to come close to his career high of 59 points set during the 2009-10 season.

Jake Muzzin scored a goal and picked up two assists in a 6-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes.

Muzzin picked up a power play goal, an assist on a shorthanded goal and another assist at even-strength. The 28-year-old blueliner now has six goals and 32 points in 49 games this season. Alex Iafallo, Trevor Lewis, Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown scored in the win.

Phaneuf's power play marker at the 17:05 mark of the second period gave the Kings a 2-1 lead at the time. He's been a terrific addition since being acquired from the Ottawa Senators last week. Phaneuf has scored three goals in four games since joining Los Angeles. There's no way he'll be able to keep this up, so his fantasy owners should enjoy it while it lasts. The 32-year-old has six goals and 19 points in 57 games this season. Alec Martinez, Torrey Mitchell and Dustin Brown also scored for Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

Derek Forbort was scoreless with a plus-1 rating in Monday's 3-1 win at Chicago, but he was able to racked up five blocked shots and a hit.

Forbort isn't terribly reliable for offensive statistics, potting just one goal with 13 points and a plus-15 rating through 57 games. However, he has managed an impressive 108 hits with 113 blocked shots, one of just 16 NHLers with at least 100 hits and blocks this season.

Christian Folin was scoreless with a plus-1 rating Monday in Chicago, but he did record a game-high nine blocked shots with two hits.

The Swedish rearguard has shown limited offensive skills, but man is he willing to sacrifice his body. Folin has three goals with seven points and a plus-1 rating through 44 games, but he delivered 113 hits with 70 blocked shots. He is worth scooping up in deeper fantasy pools using hits and blocked shots, and he isn't a bad low-cost DFS option in tournaments using those stats.

Kevin Gravel will be a healthy scratch in Monday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Gravel has three assists in 14 games this season. This is the sixth consecutive game that he'll watch from the press box. Paul Ladue and Michael Mersch will also serve as healthy scratches in this one. None of these three players will have fantasy value this season.

Jonathan Quick allowed just one goal on 28 shots in Monday's 3-1 win at Chicago.

Quick was roughed up in Raleigh last week by the Hurricanes, getting chased early in the second period after allowing four goals on 20 shots. He rebounded with a sharp effort in Pittsburgh, albeit a loss, a win in Buffalo and another win in Chicago. It appears Quick has righted the ship and he can again be relied upon as a No. 1 fantasy netminder in all pools.

The Los Angeles Kings have acquired Scott Wedgewood from the Arizona Coyotes.

It's the second time Wedgewood has been traded this season. He was also moved from New Jersey to Arizona earlier this season. The 25-year-old has a 5-9-4 record with a 3.45 goals-against-average and a .893 save percentage. He'll serve as a backup goaltender to Jonathan Quick in LA, which means he won't have any fantasy value.